Leila Faraday: I find no electronics policies in lectures to be extremely frustrating. Everyone has their own system of taking and organizing notes, and we, as adults and paying students, should be able to exercise personal discretion when it comes to these systems. If a student wants to scroll through Instagram throughout lecture, that is their free will, and they are the ones who will deal with the natural consequences.
Jack Davis: Grape flavoring is the most underrated flavoring of all. People think it tastes unnatural, but what flavoring tastes like the actual thing? I mean, blue raspberry, one of the most popular isn’t even a real thing! I believe it’s time for grape to get the respect it deserves!
Erin Stafford: The cold weather we’ve experienced lately hasn’t been that bad. Sure, it’s reached zero degrees outside, but I don’t see any reason to move class online or keep myself from venturing outside to enjoy the fresh air. Cold is cold, and I don’t feel much of a difference between zero degrees and 20 degrees, anyways. Just bundle up and throw a hat on your head. People have trekked through much worse.
Faith Badgley: Pinterest needs more recognition. It’s more about creativity rather than popularity and is honestly the only social media platform that doesn’t make me feel insecure after using it. Due to the user-curated experience, it allows me to feel the best about what I’m viewing.
Joey Sills: If you're looking to find out whether a book is good or not, Goodreads is the absolute worst source of information you could subject yourself to, and I say that as an avid user of the site. There is just no reason why “Verity” by Colleen Hoover should be sitting at an average 4.33 rating, as well as being a nominee for best romance novel of 2018, while “Normal People,” which came out the same year, sits at a 3.81. Yes, I understand people have different tastes, but it isn’t too crazy to say that some books are just objectively better than others.
Danny William: Every day last week, someone has asked me “Have you seen ‘Saltburn’ yet?” No. I haven’t. At this point, the pressure is getting way too high, and I’m afraid that I will never watch it. Sorry!
Maria Amanda Irias: Why is mandatory attendance a thing? Especially for classes in which the lectures are posted on canvas. We are all paying to be here, so why am I forced to go somewhere when it isn’t absolutely necessary for me to go? I can catch up in my own time, at home by watching the lectures online. It should be up to me if I want to be responsible and go or stay home because I’m tired. Forcing people to be there won’t make them pay attention. It will actually do the opposite.
Ainsley Foster: Banning artifical intelligence in the classroom is a battle that teachers will lose. As a future educator, I have noticed that many of my professors have varied approaches to this new technology, from integrating disclosure policies to just banning it altogether. In deliberating on this issue for my own classroom someday, I am reminded that this reaction to new and unknown tech is not new. People felt the same way about integrating Chrome books, Google, and television. As teachers, we have a responsibility to equip our students for the world they will someday be leading. This includes artificial intelligence! Instead of banning this technology, teachers should focus on how to teach students to use it in a safe and productive way.
Isabella Vesperini: I think it’s perfectly acceptable to keep up your Christmas tree through the end of January. I don’t care that Christmas is long gone. The tree is nice to look at and brings light to a room, not to mention the time it took to put up and decorate in the first place. It's also good company in the long, cold month of January. The Christmas holiday only takes up a month of the year; summer takes up at least three months. Those who say Christmas uses up too much time and is overhyped are wrong; if anything, summer uses up too much time and is overhyped. It’s OK to keep your Christmas tree up a bit longer if it makes you happy!
Ellie Willhite: Twenty minutes is not that long of a walk. Of course, everyone has their own capabilities, but if you’re letting a mere 20 minutes of aerobic exercise keep you from say, hitting up a burger shop or hanging out with friends... I don’t understand you!
Samantha Camire: The New Year’s Eve ball drop in New York City’s Times Square might be the most anti-climactic thing I’ve ever seen. The ball doesn’t drop, it just slowly lowers to the ground! I do not understand the people who line up at 5 a.m. and wear adult diapers in line just to be able to watch the ball drop live.
